Aiguillette - France

France

The aiguillettes are worn only with the dress uniform. There are several types of aiguillettes in the French military:

• Aiguilettes on the right shoulder are worn by officers filling certain duties.
  • Staff officers in the President's Staff, the Prime Minister's Staff, the Defense Minister's Staff and the Maréchaux's Staff. The aiguillette is always in gold wire.
  • The aides-de-camp to the President, the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Légion d'honneur, the chiefs of staff and the DGA. The aiguillette can be silver or gold, depending on the officer's corps. The AdC to the generals in the army and the air force and all the staff officers in the navy can also wear this aiguillette.
  • The military attachés of an embassy. The aiguillette is always in gold wire.
• Aiguillettes on the left shoulder are worn by all members of some units :
  • The Gendarmes. The aiguillette is white for the Gendarmerie départementale and gold for the Gendarmerie mobile, including the Garde Républicaine.
  • The Bands. This aiguillette can be blue, red, or gold.

Aiguillettes should not be confused with fourragères, which can be worn in the same way on the left shoulder in parade dress.